Lin Chen didn't expect that Xiao Yiran's reply would be delivered to him so quickly. After the township test was released, Lin Chen wrote a letter as soon as possible to report to Xiao Yiran. Generally speaking, letters are sent to Yanshan Mansion through the guò post station, which takes about ten days to half a month. However, this time, there was only 16 days between when he sent the letter and when he received Xiao Yiran's reply. Lin Chen looked at the letter in his hand, thinking that it should be the same as the first letter, and it was brought by someone sent to the capital by the Yanshan Mansion on business.

You don't need to look at the content of the letter, just look at the letter, Xiao Yiran's handwriting, Lin Chen's heart will be full of sweetness. When he opened the envelope and read it word by word, Lin Chen's face turned crimson with excitement.

"Brother Chen, the township test high school, Ran'er has already learned. There is no need to say words of congratulations, Ran'er is looking forward to Brother Chen's high school provincial exam, and then the day of the middle spring siege. Renyun, there are four joys in life, can Brother Chen know? Chunwei will be in the coming year, and Ran'er will wait for Brother Chen's good news. ”

What made Lin Chen excited was these few sentences, the four joys of life, two of which were "the night of candles in the cave room, when the title of the gold list". Doesn't this already make my sister's heart clear?

Different from Lin Chen's excitement and excitement, Zhao Heng looked at Xiao Yiran's letter, which was neither affectionate nor cold, and his heart was sad. Can't the other party see your own intentions? Why are these lukewarm words every time? When he saw the four limerick poems sent by Xiao Yiran with the letter, Zhao Heng looked at it, and the corners of his mouth gradually curled.

Xindao: I was really negligent, and I really snatched a place since then. If the children of rich families are still alive, it would be a sin if it was a poor student who was squeezed out by himself. It's just that it's like this, and it's useless to regret it.

This is the turn of spring and summer in the seventh year of Taiping Xingguo (982), like Lin Chen, Zhao Heng is already fourteen years old, at the beginning of the year, Zhao Heng and the second prince Zhao Yuanxi were crowned kings at the same time. Zhao Yuanxi was named the king of Guangping County, and Zhao Heng was named the king of Han. It has long been unbearable to endure the loneliness of the deep palace, and the precocious Zhao Heng often takes people to play outside the palace.

Zhao Heng likes to go to places, in addition to teahouses and wine shops, the most is the theater, commonly known as Goolan.

On this day, Zhao Heng brought people to the theater again. Every time Zhao Heng came, he was personally entertained by the shopkeeper, and this time was no exception. Although he didn't know Zhao Heng's true identity, from Zhao Heng's words and deeds, as well as the dress of his entourage, the shopkeeper could still see the dignity of Zhao Heng's identity. In particular, Zhao Heng never used the tea and snacks in the theater, but brought them with his entourage. After the guy wiped the table and stools, the shopkeeper helped Zhao He to sit down. Quietly leaned in Zhao Heng's ear and said:

"Childe is here today."

"How?"

"Yesterday, a playmaker from Bingzhou just came to the theater, not only is he smart, but he also sings well, and he will know it in a while."

Sure enough, as soon as the opening excerpt passed, with the lively gongs and drums, a slender and good-looking female actor came from the backstage. Before he could speak, the audience was shocked by the demeanor of the female actor. For a while, the applause was like thunder, and the applause was endless. Zhao Heng also looked stupid, staring intently at the jade man of Taishang, when the female actor lightly opened her lips, the beautiful voice heard in Zhao Heng's ears, as comfortable as drinking a bowl of iced sour plum soup on dog days.

The woman on the stage is none other than Liu E.

Liu E, a native of Bingzhou (Taiyuan, Shanxi). His father was Liu Xianren, the governor of Bingzhou, who died in a war invaded by Western Xia. Liu E and her mother, who were left in swaddling clothes, depended on each other, saying that blessings are incomparable, and disasters are not alone. When Liu E was more than a year old, her mother Qian was also ill, and finally left the weak Liu E and passed away.

Since then, Liu E has followed her uncle Liu Zhen to live, but her aunt doesn't like it and often beats and scolds.

"My own life is not good, and I still have to feed this money-losing goods, so send it to me as soon as possible."

This is a sentence that Aunt Liu E's Zou often hangs on her lips. didn't say anything to her husband, and she couldn't find a reason to beat little Liu E at every turn.

"Little slut, let you be greedy and don't work. It's better to raise a dog than to raise a dog, you can still take care of the family if you raise a dog, what can you do if you raise a dog? ”

Fortunately, with her uncle to protect her, Liu E finally survived day by day. It's just that she can't eat enough every day, so Liu E has to take the time to go to the neighbor's house, the east family, and the west family to order a bite to eat.

Therefore, Liu E almost grew up eating hundreds of meals. When he was six years old, one morning in early summer, Shen Zou, who had changed his normal state, suddenly said to Liu E affectionately when his uncle was out:

"E'er, my aunt is free today, let's go to the play. I heard that the drama of the Xishun class is singing well. ”

Liu E, who is only six years old, knows something, seeing her aunt so kind, she can only be happy in her heart, and she can't think of anything else at all. After coming to Xishun's class with his aunt, he saw an old man in his fifties watching around him for a long time, pinching his arm, and turning to his aunt Zou and nodding.

"E'er wait here, and Auntie will go to the street to buy some snacks for you to eat."

After speaking, Zou walked away with a twist and a swing.

"Your name is Liu E?"

Liu E nodded.

"You know what? Just now, your aunt has sold you to our Xishun class, so let's live in the team and learn drama in the future. ”

When Liu E heard this, she turned around and ran out. Although she is young and ignorant, Liu E still knows a little. In the eyes of ordinary people, dramas are similar to prostitutes, and they are all people who are despised by others.

"Stop for me, now that you are a member of the troupe, you can not care about it for the first time, if you think about running again, you won't break your legs."

was frightened by the old man's angry shout, so he could only obediently accept his fate, and officially became an actor from then on. The days of learning drama are very hard, and if you don't do it well, you will usher in a full beating from the drama teacher. Liu E could only endure it, and gradually grew up day by day in the difficult days. Liu E, who has grown up, is not only beautiful, but also good at singing. By the age of eleven, he was already the pillar of this small theater troupe.

When Liu E was fourteen years old, she sang popular and became the state capital. With the reward of her own rich theater fans, Liu E redeemed herself, broke away from the Xishun class, and joined a bigger and more famous "Defu" theater troupe. Liu E, who has grown up and is sensible, feels even more that people despise her profession. Therefore, Liu E is not satisfied with the status quo and wants to get rid of the singing business.

The days pass day by day in singing, and they have reached the age of marriage, but the children of serious families will never marry a drama as a daughter-in-law. Until Liu E was sixteen years old, there was still no good family to propose. Because she had money to spare, Liu E would often go to the jewelry shop on the street, or buy or make jewelry, and after coming and going, she became acquainted with a silversmith.

The silversmith's name is Wu Degui, who is from a certain state in that country, and has been wandering alone for many years. It's been three years since I came to the state capital, and now I'm a twenty-year-old young man, still alone. From the first time Liu E came to his shop to make jewelry, Wu Degui was deeply fascinated by Liu E's appearance. After the two gradually got acquainted, they often used words to test Liu E.

"Miss is in the Telford theater troupe, right?"

"You also watch the show?"

"How can I have spare money to watch the show? However, I often hear about the women who come to make jewelry. said that there is a pillar in the Defu opera troupe, not only is he handsome, but he also sings better. ”

"No matter how good it is, it's also a drama that is despised by others."

Liu E said with a faint sigh.

"Miss can't say that, as the saying goes, three hundred and sixty lines, the line is the champion. As long as you stand upright, you don't care what others say. I am not welcomed in my profession. It's all for mixed food, how can there be so many respected industries in 360 lines? ”

Wu Degui is a well-known and most ingenious person, and in just a few words, it went to Liu E's heart. Naturally, Liu E left a good impression.

In a hurry, a year passed. Liu E is seventeen years old, and Wu Degui is also twenty-one years old. This summer, Wu Degui felt that Liu E didn't hate him, so he asked someone to go and propose marriage.

Liu E was not surprised that Wu Degui invited someone to propose marriage. Since she became acquainted with Wu Degui, Liu E has often counted in her heart. Anyway, in a situation like myself, it is impossible to marry into a good family. If you can marry a small businessman like Wu Degui, it may not be a good destination. The key is that Wu Degui is single and has no old man. Therefore, when the matchmaker invited by Wu Degui came for the second time, Liu E agreed. If you get married, you can be the master of the house, and it can be regarded as a good marriage for a woman of her own status.

After getting the matchmaker's reply, Wu Degui began to get busy. In early autumn, I made an engagement, followed by a change of posts and a dowry. Because neither of them has elders, as long as the two of them say well, there will be no more extraneous branches. By the end of the year, Wu Degui married Liu E to a small courtyard he bought in Bingzhou City.

After marriage, Wu Degui took good care of Liu E, although he did not have much money, he still bought a personal girl for Liu E, an old mother who was called. After a few days of comfort, Liu E said to Wu Degui:

"Xianggong, now you alone make money to support your family, and you can maintain it temporarily. It's just that if you have a child in the future, I'm afraid it will be difficult to continue, so it's better to sing as a wife. ”

Speaking from the heart, Wu Degui really didn't want his wife to show up again. It's just that after a big wedding between the two, buying a house, making wedding clothes, and making jewelry, the savings over the years have almost been used up. If you add children in the future, your life will really be the same as your wife said, and it will be difficult to continue.

"It's rare for a good wife to think about this, so let's sing for a while, and then withdraw when I have a child."

Although Liu E sang in the Defu class, she was not sold by her aunt like she did in the Xishun class at the beginning. Today's Liu E is her own body, she can sing if she wants to, and no one cares if she doesn't want to sing. The husband and wife discussed it, and Liu E appeared on the stage again in the spring of the second year after marriage.